The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-06-11

TO try and discover the murderer.
Inquiry ut the brewery brought out
the fact that strange man had been
seen there late the previous afternoon.
and an old negro testified 10 having
seen him going up the canon. A con-
ductor on one OF the cars said a man
answering the description given by the
men ~ the brewery and the old negro
had ridden or biz car A grocer's man
who happened TO be driving by had seen
this man and identified him as Loften.
When the officers came TO bis house
Loiten was writing. and upon being
told that he was wanted went at once.
thinking there was some mistake which
could be easily explained. and IL was
not until brought before the magistrate
that he learned he was charged with
murder.
He told his story rs we have already
done above. and pleaded his innocence.
but the evidence against him seemed
too strong. aud ho Was sent TO prison
TO await his trial.
No one else had seen the two tramps.
nor could any traces of them be found.
Loftcn Law awake all night in his cell.
He knew that he was innocent. but
how was he to prove L? He had al
ways had a Stainless reputation. and
now he was in prison accused of
murder! He thought Of the grief and
shame IL would cause 10 his friends.
then he broke down and cried like
child.
After that be remembered nothing.
When the jailer came with his break
fast he found him staring at tae blank
wall OF his cell. He spoke 10 him. but
the prisoner did not move. Loften was
mad.
He was committed 10 an insane
asylum. but the judge made stipula-
ton that IL ne should ever recover his
reason he should be tried for murder
For seven years Charles Loften was
in the insane asylum. He ate and
slept. and was taken ont TO walk by a
nurse with some Of the other patients,
blt h never gt,l, /. ho never APP
peared TO notice anybody or anything.
AT the end Of seven wears his reason
suddenly returned. Eyerythii 8 was
clear up to the night OF his inprison-
mcnt. but of the time he had spent In
the asylum hc remembered nothing.
The court was notified that he had
recovered his reason. aud a time was
set for his trial.
On the night before Charles Loften's
trial a robbery was attempted in a
ncighborisg town.
Between one and two in the morning
tho owner of handsome place on the
outskirts Of the town was awakened
and thought he heard some one moving
in the house. He got up and went 10
the door and found that some one was
moving about in the library.
The house was lighted BY electricity.
and by pressing button ut the head
OF the stairs the light could be turned
on all over the first floor.
This he did. andin an instant every
room was lighted.
Two men who had been cropping
about in the darkness we're at FIRST
blinded and. stmpetied by the bright light
coming 50 suddenly; then they came to
their senses and ran. and as the proprie-
tor hurried down stairs he saw ihcsl
running through the house and cscap-
ing by side door.
As the men crossed the yard the
night Waterman saw them and fired
his pistol. The foremost man Tell. but
the other made good his escape.
On the first day of Lotions trial n
| Jury had been selected. q few witnesses
had been called and the coart adjourn
ed.
On the second day of the trial, just
rs the third witness was about 10 take
the stand, note was handed to the
Judge.
10 stated that, on examining the
wounds OF the burglar who had been
shot in the neighborng town two
nights before. il had been found that he
could not live. and on learning this the
man made n confession.
He said that seven or eight years be-
fore he and one OF his companions had
murdered man in Dead Mans Canon
and robbed him ofsome valuable papers
which he had in his possession.
He knew that an innocent man had
been arrested. but thought he would be
acquitted. He had aftcrward. learned
that the man. whose name was Charles
Loften. had become insane and was
placed in an asylum.
The man who listened TO the story.
knowing that Loftcn was now on
trial for this crime. had sent for jus
tice and had the man make an aflida-
Wit. which lac sent at once 10 the court.